


Say You Won't Let Go

by DramioneConvert



Series: The Woman With You [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 90s Anthems, Anxiety, Bryan Adams, Dancing, F/M, HP: EWE, James Arthur - Freeform, Meatloaf, Not Epilogue Compliant, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pump Up the Jam, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 12:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11555289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramioneConvert/pseuds/DramioneConvert
Summary: A continuation of “The Woman With You.” Hermione and Draco have connected through their shared past, shared anxiety, and shared dancing. What happens when she takes the consummate pureblood to a Muggle dance club?





	Say You Won't Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> I realize that James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” came out way after this story takes place, but I fell in love with the song and couldn’t get it out of my head. (See the note at the end of the work for the full lyrics.) It turned into a Dramione plot bunny and somehow strong armed its way into this fic. Everything else is accurate to the time period though.   
> Thanks again to my beta, HermioneJeanWayne, who makes everything I write better.

**“I met you in the dark. You lit me up…”**

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

_“Granger, are you asking me on a date?”_

_“So what if I am?”_

Hermione spent the rest of the week trying to bury herself in her work, but she kept thinking back to her conversation with Draco. What was she thinking inviting him out for this weekend?! Wait, back up. The problem started before that. She had managed to spend the entire Battle of Hogwarts Remembrance Ball in the arms of her former enemy – Draco Friggin’ Malfoy. It was really quite surreal, to be honest. She sighed and shook her head thinking about the events of that night. The comfort of strong arms around her body. The refuge away from prying eyes and questioning stares.

_I was so anxious. I could hardly sit still, and I kept losing focus. PTSD is a bitch. And it’s definitely to blame for my lack of judgment,_ she thought harshly. _But he was so…kind and warm. And he seemed like he really understood._

_Kind? Are you mental?! Draco Malfoy and kind don’t belong in the same sentence,_ another part of her brain bit back. She smiled ruefully, remembering all the times he had been decidedly unkind to her in school.

_But he’s different now… Something about his eyes, and the way they bored right into mine seemed to convey that he was truly changed. And he certainly works hard. No doubt about that,_ the more forgiving Hermione pointed out.

_Damn it all to hell! What’s done is done!_ she finally concluded and tried to go back to reading the same paragraph on the parchment in front of her for the fiftieth time.

She alternated between hoping he’d contact her first and hoping he had forgotten all about her awkward invitation for the next few days. When Friday morning dawned though, she knew she had to at least make some form of contact with him. Her personality didn’t allow things to get brushed aside with no resolution at all.

She had been working on a memo to him for 30 minutes. As evidence of her many attempts, there were several crumpled bits of parchment scattered around the room and more than one small pile of ashes. She angrily marked through her current draft (a few more times and with a little more force than absolutely necessary) and wadded it up to cast on the floor with the others. It took her a second to realize she never heard the telltale sound of it colliding with the cool stone and looked up slowly.

Her fears were confirmed when she saw Draco himself standing in the doorway of her office holding the offending projectile. Her mouth fell open, and she glanced about nervously, hoping he wouldn’t glean what she was up to.

“Seeker’s reflexes,” he said with a smug smile as he took a few long strides to sit across the desk from her. As he neared, she could sense the tense undercurrent of emotion he was covering with his normal cool façade. _The jig is up. He knows_ , her mind pointed out helpfully. She gave a swish of her wand in a circle above her head, and all the rejects (including those reduced to ashes) disappeared. But before she could think of something witty to say, he continued.

“You’re not thinking of canceling on me, are you?” His face gave nothing away, but she saw the slight fidget of his hands in his lap.

A beat. “Of course not!” she said a little too loudly. “I’m working on a new piece of legislation.” Another pause. “About Quidditch.” She groaned internally at her stupidity. Hermione Granger hated the sport, and everyone knew it. She felt like she had to give more detail though to make the lie believable, but she drew a total blank as to what. His reference to it was all she could think of at the moment. 

He raised one blond eyebrow skeptically.

“So tomorrow,” she began cheerfully, hoping he would ignore her ridiculousness. “The club is called ‘Pump Up the Jam’ over on Oxford Street. We usually go around 10.”

“Jam? As in what you put on toast?” He looked a little disgusted.

Hermione couldn’t help a laugh at that. “No, silly. As in the dance anthem from the early 90s. The club books mostly local cover bands who focus on pop music from that time.”

Draco looked a little shell-shocked at that information and seemed to be considering doing the cancelling himself. Hermione smiled at him knowingly (and okay, a bit challengingly) and raised both her eyebrows in question.

“Okay,” he said with a quick nod. “I’ll be there.” He stood to go and turned with a wicked grin and a wink at the door. “See you soon, Granger.”

Hermione had just enough time to blush before he was gone. She was considerably more excited the rest of the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“We danced the night away…”**

As was their custom, Ginny and Luna floo’ed to Hermione’s flat after dinner on Saturday. They enjoyed having some time to catch up before the beat of the bass drowned out all their frustrations along with their voices. This time, they had plenty to talk about with the prospect of one Slytherin pureblood joining them. They had a few drinks, more than a few laughs, and helped each other with their hair and makeup.

Hermione donned a knit dress that was sleeveless and V necked. It had an empire waist and a pleated skirt that flowed nicely when she danced, and she wound her hair into a loose bun. Her normal bun was worn professionally in the middle of the back of her head, but practicality won out when physical exertion was involved. She may have tamed her frizz, but Merlin, her hair was still exceedingly heavy and hot so she opted for an exotic side bun to get it off her neck.

The three girls took their last looks in the mirror and linked arms in the middle of the small living room. Hermione still didn’t enjoy the sensation of Apparition so she let Ginny take charge of their transportation, and they soon landed in an alley a few blocks down from the busy club. They only had to wait outside the door for a few minutes before Ginny stopped talking mid-sentence and discreetly pointed over Hermione’s shoulder.

She turned around to see a tall, lanky man with a sharp jaw casually walking towards them. He was dressed in Muggle stone-washed jeans and a jade green button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The pale blond hair was always a dead giveaway, but Hermione had never seen Draco look like that. _Sweet Mother of Merlin_ , she thought.

Hermione knew she was gaping at him like a fish, but she couldn’t help it. He smirked down at her. “Granger,” he said in a low voice. Without taking his eyes off Hermione, he greeted her friends. “Weaselette, Luna. Thanks for letting me tag along.” Hermione was vaguely aware of two feminine voices, but she remained rooted to the spot. Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind and ushered her into the building. She stumbled a little, and she saw Draco chuckle as he fell into step beside her.

She followed Ginny and Luna to a spot on the dancefloor with barely enough room for the four of them. Luna, always the free spirit, immediately started swaying to a beat only she could hear (as it obviously didn’t correlate with the song blaring over the person-sized speakers). As crowded as the room was, people seemed to create space around her, and she gracefully raised her arms above her head to lithely move her body like the flames of a fire.

Ginny’s style was a little more conventional and included some excited hopping as the beat of the song picked up. Hermione suddenly felt nervous about letting herself go in front of the blond wizard standing merely inches behind her. Ginny grabbed her hand and playfully tugged at her arm until she melted a little and started moving to the beat. Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” was definitely one of her favorites.

Luna had begun to jerk her arms in a much more staccato version of the fluid movements she had first exhibited. Hermione and Ginny shared a knowing smile, and Hermione felt Draco lean forward to whisper in her ear.

“Is she having a stroke?” His warm breath moved her loose tendrils of hair and raised goosebumps on her neck, and she shivered. She looked back at Luna though, and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was certainly a sight to behold.

She pursed her lips at Draco over her shoulder and shook her head disapprovingly. She had to attempt to stand up for her friend anyway. Luna’s careless dancing and Ginny’s spirited movements loosened her up a bit, and she let the music carry her away. For the first few songs, Draco stood mostly still behind her. She stole glances at him. He seemed to be having a good time, soaking up all the sights and sounds of what was surely his first visit to a Muggle club. Somewhere after that, he began to move with her, and by the fourth song, they were dancing and laughing together. She was singing the lyrics she knew at the top of her lungs, and his eyes twinkled as he watched her.

But the 90s didn’t just offer upbeat anthems. Sooner or later, an epic ballad had to make an appearance. One such tune began (Bryan Adams’ hit “Everything I Do, I Do it for You”), and Luna and Ginny took the opportunity to hit the loo and the bar as did a large portion of the rest of the crowd. As Hermione was looking around nervously trying to decide what to do, she felt familiar warm hands on her hips. She froze for a second and slowly turned to look up at Draco over her shoulder. His gray eyes were intense and burned into hers. She held them for a while and then looked down at the small smile on his lips. She turned to face the stage again and leaned her torso back to rest on his chest. They started to sway, and she closed her eyes. He brought his head down to rest his chin on her shoulder, and she nuzzled his cheek. After a few seconds, he placed a chaste kiss on the exposed skin of her neck.

_Judgment, be damned_ , she thought before she gave up rational thought altogether.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“You made me feel as though I was enough…”**

The rest of the night passed in much the same manner – wild fun dancing to the upbeat songs and increasingly intimate embraces for the slow tunes (though they were few and far between, _thank Merlin_ ).

When the band finished their set, the foursome made their way to the apparition point – Luna and Ginny whispering and giggling at the front, Draco and Hermione in silence behind. Though she had spent most of the night in Draco’s arms, the light out on the street made her feel self-conscious. She was torn between wanting to loop an arm casually through his and wanting to put some distance between them. She opted for crossing her arms in front of her stomach and holding her elbows awkwardly. She stole a few glances at him out of the corner of her eye as they walked the short distance. He kept his hands in his pockets casually and stared ahead with the hint of a smile on his chiseled features. _He has to be one of the most maddening wizards I’ve ever met_ , Hermione thought.

When they returned to the alley, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione exchanged hugs. Draco made a show of bowing and kissing their knuckles.

“Thank you for allowing me to join you, ladies,” he drawled.

“Lovely to see you, Draco,” Luna offered first. “I had no idea you could be this much fun when I was living in your dungeon.” She smiled innocently at him, obviously no malice in her assessment. Draco cocked his head to the side as he regarded her with a crooked grin, and with a pop, she was gone.

He turned to find Ginny sizing him up with a cocked eyebrow. “I’m still keeping my eye on you, Malfoy, but I’d say you passed this test.”

“I’d expect nothing less,” Draco responded with a wicked grin.

Ginny turned her attention to Hermione who was wringing her hands nervously. “You gonna make it home okay?” she said with a quick glance cast in Draco’s general direction.

As Hermione was opening her mouth to respond, he cut in. “Actually, Granger – I was wondering if you might want to join me for some breakfast at the 24-hour diner. It’s only a few blocks from here.”

Hermione stared back at him with her mouth agape until Ginny elbowed her in the ribs. “Ow! Oh! Sure…” she said somewhat apprehensively. She turned to see Ginny giving her an encouraging smile. She leaned in to kiss Hermione’s cheek and whispered quickly, “Go have fun! And owl me tomorrow first thing!” With that, the redhead stepped back, winked, and disappeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“’Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go…”**

She stared at the place where her friend had been for a few seconds. Draco chuckled softly and held out his elbow to her. She gave him a shy smile and linked her arm through his. They made their way to the diner, and Draco led them to a small table by the window at the far corner. When the waitress came, Draco ordered a full English. _How in the world does he stay so fit eating like that in the middle of the night?_ Hermione thought.

When it was her turn, Hermione said quietly, “Just coffee for me please. With cream.” She watched the waitress walk away. Most unusually for her, she found herself at quite a loss for words. When she turned back to the table and her unexpected companion, he was eyeing her with his usual smirk on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Alright, spill it, Granger,” he said and raised his eyebrows knowingly.

“I- I’m sorry?” she spluttered. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck and the anxiety tighten her chest. She adjusted her position in the rigid booth.

He rolled his eyes and sat forward with his elbows on the table. “I know that big brain of yours is going 100 metres per second. Out with it.”

She looked down and saw the faded Dark Mark on his forearm – more like a scar than a tattoo now – and she was captivated staring at it. Her heart raced, and her palms got sweaty. She couldn’t tear her eyes away even as she felt herself spiraling down into the all-too-familiar recesses of a full-blown panic attack.

Suddenly, she felt increasing pressure on her hand. She snapped her head to see long, narrow fingers wrapped tightly around her clinched fist on the table. She raised her eyes to meet the intense gray stare of Draco hovering only inches from her face.

“Hermione,” he said with urgency in his voice. He tightened his hold on her hand while he held her gaze. “Focus on me.” She worked to slow her breathing and loosened her aching fingers. He released her, and she wiped her palms on her dress under the table.

_Thank Merlin, Morgana, and Circe_ , the waitress had the impeccable timing of bringing their food, providing a few seconds of distraction while she tried to pull herself together.

Embarrassed, she peeked at him from under her lashes. He was still at attention watching her every move. She let out a huge sigh and looked him in the eye again. “How do you know exactly what to do to calm me?”

“Panic attacks?” he asked gravely. She nodded. “I’ve had my fair share. Physical pressure brings me back to reality and helps me quiet the noise in my head.”

She tentatively reached a now dry hand across the table to touch his. “Thank you,” she said quietly. He looked down at her hand covering his and flipped it so they were palm to palm. He wrapped his long fingers around her wrist and met her eyes again.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he whispered. “About me. About this.” He gestured between them with his free hand. 

She furrowed her brows. “Honestly, I’m confused. I don’t know what to think. Obviously, this type of contact is very new for us, and I’m having a hard time believing it’s real.”

He gave her a small smile. “I know what that’s like, too. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked into the courtroom and found you and Potter standing between me and the Wizengamot.” She blushed. “I could not fathom why you would do that after all I had done to you over the years.”

“You were used and pulled and manipulated by everyone around you,” she said gently. “And you didn’t kill Dumbledore. And you didn’t identify us that day at the Manor.”

A flicker of pain passed over his face. “I didn’t help you either,” he said darkly. “Hermione – I’m so sorry I didn’t help you.”

“We both know there’s nothing you could have done that would have ended well for either of us. Besides, you’ve helped me plenty in the last few weeks. Why did you do that at the Ball?”

He gave her a crooked grin. “You needed it, and for once, I had the intestinal fortitude to act. We can’t have a war heroine losing her cool at some silly ball, can we?” He leaned forward. “And can I tell you a secret?”

She nodded dumbly again.

“I’ve had a bit of a crush on you since you hit me in third year. I was an arrogant prat who needed someone to put me in my place, and I was always impressed that you did.” He gave her a wink and with a small squeeze of her wrist, he released her hand to dig into his food.

Hermione wrapped both hands around her coffee mug and took a sip, her mind reeling. She smiled as she hid behind it. “Since third year, then?” she prodded. He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. Was she imagining it, or did his ears look a little pink? “You didn’t say when it stopped…” she let that trail off and gave him a too-sweet smile.

 “I didn’t.” A beat. “It didn’t.” He gave her a smile to challenge her own. “Of course, that revelation would not have been popular with my family so like the pureblood coward I was, I continued to play my part.” His eyes betrayed a flicker of sadness. “Too well obviously.”

They sat in silence for a while as he ate and Hermione sipped. “How about now?” she said. At his puzzled look, she continued. “We caused quite a stir at the ball.”

His eyes twinkled. “I quite enjoyed that.”

“So did I.” They smiled at each other for an immeasurable moment.

The spell was broken when the waitress brought the check. Draco fluidly laid down a Muggle bill to cover the tab, and told the waitress “no change” with a smile. As they stood to leave, he offered his hand instead of his elbow this time. Hermione’s stomach flip-flopped as she took the proffered hand, lacing her fingers with his.

As soon as they exited the diner, she couldn’t contain her curiosity any more. “How are you so comfortable here? And why do you have Muggle money?” she blurted.

Draco chuckled as he led them back to the alley to apparate. “I’m surprised it took you this long to ask.” He smiled down at her. “After 6 months of house arrest, I needed to get out, explore. I couldn’t exactly be free in the wizarding world so I took to roaming around Muggle London. I found I rather liked the anonymity it offered, and I actually enjoyed learning more about them and their culture.” He paused to take in her reaction (total slack jawed shock). He rolled his eyes and smirked. “We’re really not all that different.”

“Merlin,” was all Hermione could manage. She thought for a few moments as they made the final corner. “Who are you, and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?” He gave a true belly laugh at that and turned to face her. _Could he really be looking at me with such… adoration? on his face_ , she thought.

Slowly, he brought the hand not holding hers up to brush a few errant curls back from her face. He let his fingers graze her cheek and then rest on the back of her neck. He leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.

“Can I tell you another secret, Granger?” She just stared back at him wide-eyed while he leaned even closer. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed. “And I’ve wanted to kiss you forever.” With that, he closed the distance between them to press warm, soft lips to hers. She gave a little gasp, and he pulled back marginally to look in her eyes. After the initial shock, she snapped back to her senses and lunged forward to wrap her arms around his neck and snog him thoroughly. As their tongues touched, he snaked his arm around her waist and pressed her flush against him. All thought left her head, and she totally lost track of how long they stood there until they were forced to separate to catch their breath.

They stood there in the dark, dingy alley clutching each other and listening to their breaths still. “Technically, that’s two more secrets, but I’ll take it,” she whispered into his chest. She felt a chuckle rumble within him.

“Swot,” he said as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Prat,” she whispered back.

After a few more minutes, she sighed and pulled back to look up at him. They joined their hands and gazed at each other in the dim light.

“I had a great time tonight,” she spoke first.

“As did I,” he said back.

“I guess I’ll see you at work…” she began awkwardly, suddenly embarrassed at what had transpired between them in such a short amount of time and unsure of how to proceed.

Draco raised an eyebrow. “I rather hoped I’d see you again outside of work. If that’s okay with you.” She smiled back brilliantly.

“Yes, I’d like that,” she breathed, flooding with relief that she hoped wasn’t too obvious.

“I’ll drop by your office on Monday.” He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Hermione.”

“Goodnight, Draco.” She gave his hands one last squeeze before stepping back and disappearing to her flat.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“I held your hair back when you were throwing up…”**

That night, she fell into her bed and was dead to the world until she was awakened around noon the next day by an urgent tapping on her window. _Ugh, Ginny_ , she thought as she dragged herself out of the bed. Sure enough, it was her friend wanting to know how last night went. She scrawled a hasty reply, promising more later, downed a glass of water and went back to bed feeling like hell.

She woke up later that night and didn’t feel any better. She laid in bed and went over the events of the night before. _I’m too damn old to be gallivanting about so late at night,_ she thought until she felt the nausea rising up and ran to the loo. After her third trip to the toilet, she decided it was more than just exhaustion – somehow she’d caught a stomach bug. She sent a quick owl to Ginny and one to her boss to let her know she wouldn’t be there the next day. As her energy waned, she remembered Malfoy’s promise to stop by her office and sent him a note, too. Then she sank into oblivion again. Monday passed in a haze of vomiting and restless sleep. Around 5 pm, she heard a knock at her door. She was napping on the couch for a change of scenery and called out from her makeshift sick bed to inquire who it was. To her horror, it was Draco who responded “me.”

“Draco?!” she shrieked. “What are you doing here?”

“Let me in, and I’ll tell you!” he yelled back with obvious amusement in his voice.

“Uh… I’m really not well. Can you come back another time?”

“Hermione Jean Granger! Open this door, or I will blow it off its hinges,” came his stern reply.

With a huge sigh and a grimace, she raised her wand to unlock the door and modify her wards to allow him entrance. When he walked in, he found her huddled on the couch with her face in her hands. She felt the cushions shift with his weight, but she didn’t move to look at him (or rather, let him see her).

“I’m glad to see you’re actually sick and not just faking to avoid me,” he joked. She simply moaned in reply.

“I brought you something to cheer you up,” he continued. She peeked between her fingers to see a dozen roses bound with gold ribbon in his lap.

“Thank you,” she mumbled behind her hands.

“I also brought some chicken noodle soup.” He lifted the lid off the container, and as soon as the scent hit her nose, she gasped and bolted for the bathroom. She was so focused on making the toilet, she forgot to close the door behind her. As if things could get any worse, she was vaguely aware that Draco had followed her and moved to pull back her mass of curls as she heaved violently. The attack finally subsided, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She began to sob, her face in her hands again, and with only a moment’s hesitation, he reached to pull her into his lap. They sat there on the floor while he stroked her hair until she finally calmed.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered in agony.

“You spend all your time looking after your gaggle of friends and championing causes of those less fortunate. Why can’t you let someone take care of you for a change?”

New tears came to her eyes, and she nuzzled further into his chest. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” he said as he helped her to her feet. Once he’d tucked her in, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” With a loud crack, he was gone. Less than 5 minutes later, he was back with potions, ginger ale, and crackers.

“Apparently, this is more your speed than the-“ he started, but she cut him off before he could finish. “Don’t say it.” She still looked a little green so he heeded her warning. He gently coaxed the potions down her and then a little of the soothing liquid.

“Draco…” she said weakly. “I know Ginny is going to be worried about me. Will you please floo call her before you leave? 12 Grimmauld Place.”

“Sure, but I have no intention of leaving.” He closed her door to find her fireplace, and she could just barely hear him giving her friend an update. She drifted off to sleep with the echo of his voice in her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“Say you won’t let go…”**

When she woke up later that night, she already felt loads better. She found Draco asleep on her couch, his feet dangling off the end. She kissed him on the cheek gently and summoned a blanket to cover him. She had another ginger ale and a few more crackers as she sat watching the dozing man in her living room. Images from their tumultuous history flashed through her mind. She thought back to how utterly broken he was at his trial. She ruminated on the dealings she had had with him at the ministry.

Plenty of their coworkers were obviously leery and sometimes downright hateful to him. She’d spent a significant amount of time pondering how she felt about that. Sure, they had plenty of right to judge him for his past actions, but he was obviously working to be something else. If they didn’t change their mindset, how were they any different than the pureblood elitists? Prejudices went both ways she determined. She watched him turn the other cheek time and time again and admired him for his dedication.

Now, she was the recipient of that same dedication in a different way. She determined that when Draco Malfoy put his ample amount of wits to something, he committed. He recognized something in her at the Ball that they had in common – PTSD. Bloody hell, they fought a war as teenagers. They saw the rise and fall of the darkest wizard of all time during the formative years of their childhood. If that didn’t change your life, nothing would.

She thought again about how wonderful it was to lose herself in his arms at the Ball. Her anxiety that night threatened to overtake her, but he was there, steady and strong. It was unexpected to find solace in him, but Merlin’s beard, she needed it from somewhere. Since she was 11 years old, she’d been looking after her friends. After the war, the number of people who looked to her for answers only increased. Sometimes, the weight of her reputation threatened to squash her like a bug, and she knew that was another thing she and Draco had in common.

So much had changed between them in the last few weeks, but now, as she reminisced on the last few years, things had been changing for them for a while. Draco twitched in his sleep, and she smiled fondly at him. She ran her fingers through his hair before going back to her bedroom to take her next round of potions and drift off to sleep again.

As much as the potions helped to heal her body, no concoction was powerful enough to heal her mind. Bellatrix visited her in her dreams again, and she woke up in a cold sweat thrashing about and crying out. In a flash, she felt warm hands squeezing her shoulders. She sat up, and he enveloped her in a tight hug. “Shhh, shhh,” he said. “It’s just a nightmare. I have them, too,” he whispered as he smoothed back her hair and rocked her gently.

“That’s twice tonight you’ve seen me at my worst,” she said when she could talk.

“You saw me at my worst for years, Granger. You’ve got a long way to go to catch up to me.”

“Say you won’t let go,” she whispered back. He kissed her head and laid them back on the bed. With one arm under her neck and the other draped over her waist, he held her snugly to his chest until they both drifted off again. The nightmares didn’t come back for either of them.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

**“I promise till death we part like in our vows…”**

Hermione and Draco soon found themselves inseparable. Their relationship blossomed, and they turned more than their fair share of heads. Of course, it was Harry who made a show of accepting them openly at the Ministry. Ron took a little longer to jump on board, but Draco finally won him over with quidditch talk. With the power of the Golden Trio behind them, the wizarding world accepted the match.

It was a typical Friday at the Ministry when she received an owl in the late afternoon with a particularly thick envelope. She opened it cautiously and immediately recognized the Muggle-style greeting card. She didn’t expect the song to be so loud when she opened it though, and the raucous music caused her to squeal and drop the parcel. “I DON’T WANT A PLACE TO STAY! GET YOUR BOOTY ON THE FLOOR TONIGHT! MAKE MY DAY!” Fumbling for the card, she finally apprehended it, snapping it shut to end the howler-type message. _Insufferable git_ , she thought. _He probably charmed it to play extra loud_.

She was still clutching her chest when he arrived to lean casually in the doorway to her office. He was smiling brilliantly, and there was a devious twinkle in his eyes. “Get some mail, did you, Granger?”

“You know bloody well I did!” she snapped. “They probably heard it all the way down in the Department of Mysteries!”               

He barked a laugh. “I trust you know what it means,” he drawled.

She rolled her eyes. “They're lyrics from 'Pump Up the Jam.' You want to go back to that Muggle club.”

He gave her a patronizing smile. “Brightest Witch of Her Age,” he said as he ducked away, narrowly avoiding the ball of rubberbands she threw at him from her desk.

After dinner that night, they found themselves at their favorite Muggle establishment. A few songs had played when the DJ announced a special request.

“Look into my eyes, you will see what you mean to me,” Bryan Adams began crooning. Hermione turned to point out the coincidence to Draco and found him on one knee. In his hand was a black velvet box with a sparkling diamond ring set in rose gold. She gasped and covered her face with her hands. Draco was singing along with the song. “There's no love like your love. And no other could give more love. There's nowhere unless you're there all the time, all the way,” Draco sang in his perfect tenor.

She took his face in both of her hands and placed a firm kiss to his lips. “Yes” she whispered on his skin. Suddenly, she felt hands on her shoulders. She turned to see Harry and Ginny, Neville and Luna, even Ron and Susan. She soaked up their congratulations and reveled in their hugs, but she yearned for the man who picked her up when she was broken. The one who looked after her and made her whole again. When she’d greeted all her friends, he was there, right by her side. He pulled her to his chest and placed a kiss on her head. “Say you won’t let go,” he whispered, and she hugged him even tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this song like I do :-)
> 
> Say You Won't Let Go  
> James Arthur
> 
> I met you in the dark, you lit me up  
> You made me feel as though I was enough  
> We danced the night away, we drank too much  
> I held your hair back when  
> You were throwing up
> 
> Then you smiled over your shoulder  
> For a minute, I was stone-cold sober  
> I pulled you closer to my chest  
> And you asked me to stay over  
> I said, I already told ya  
> I think that you should get some rest
> 
> I knew I loved you then  
> But you'd never know  
> 'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go  
> I know I needed you  
> But I never showed  
> But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old  
> Just say you won't let go  
> Just say you won't let go
> 
> I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed  
> I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head  
> And I'll take the kids to school  
> Wave them goodbye  
> And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night
> 
> When you looked over your shoulder  
> For a minute, I forget that I'm older  
> I wanna dance with you right now  
> Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever  
> And I swear that everyday you'll get better  
> You make me feel this way somehow
> 
> I'm so in love with you  
> And I hope you know  
> Darling your love is more than worth its weight in gold  
> We've come so far my dear  
> Look how we've grown  
> And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old  
> Just say you won't let go  
> Just say you won't let go
> 
> I wanna live with you  
> Even when we're ghosts  
> 'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most
> 
> I'm gonna love you till  
> My lungs give out  
> I promise till death we part like in our vows  
> So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows  
> 'Cause now it's just you and me till we're grey and old  
> Just say you won't let go  
> Just say you won't let go
> 
> Just say you won't let go  
> Oh, just say you won't let go
> 
> Songwriters: Neil Richard Ormandy / James Arthur / Steve Solomon
> 
> Say You Won't Let Go lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.


End file.
